There is no denying that the last two years of the pandemic have had a massive impact on the lives of Australians. But we know that people showed up in tough times and proved how resilient they could be. While we’re navigating the current Omicron outbreak and beyond, with ongoing changes and struggles, there are more people experiencing challenges which impact on stress levels. Current additional challenges can include receiving a positive test result, needing to isolate or self-isolating, supporting a loved one who is positive or needs to isolate, being unable to work, or being concerned about needing to go back to work.
It’s important to know how to manage stress and look after you in these challenging times. In addition to getting the medical care that you need to look after your physical health, it is important to notice any stress and take control of your mental health and wellbeing. Below are our top 10 tips on how to improve your mental and emotional health, and how to look after you in 2022:
1. Eat Healthy, Nutritious Foods
It can’t be said enough. Eating well plays an important part in maintaining good mental and physical health and promotes an overall sense of well-being[1]. What you eat directly affects the function of your brain and impacts on your mental health, making it important to eat a balanced diet full of nutritious foods.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines outline that a healthy diet consists of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products and alternatives, and also some lean meats or alternatives such as beans, tofu, nuts. The guidelines also limit saturated and trans fats, sodium, and added sugars and recommend drinking lots of water [2]. Make a goal for this year to be a healthy one food-wise.
2. Get A Goodnight’s Sleep
According to The Sleep Health Foundation in NSW, sleep is closely connected to mental and emotional health[3]. Evidence proves that getting a goodnight’s sleep can positively impact our mental health. A good night’s sleep is a minimum of 8 hours. If you are physically unwell, even more sleep is needed.
Improving your sleep hygiene by putting some simple steps in place will ensure that you are on the right track to getting a restful sleep. Thanks to The Sleep Health Foundation, below are some steps you can take to build a healthy sleep routine and habits:
Having a set bedtime and maintaining a steady sleep schedule
Finding ways to wind-down, such as with relaxation techniques, as part of a standard routine before bedtime
Avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine in the evening
Dimming lights and putting away electronic devices for an hour or more before bed
Getting regular exercise and natural light exposure during the daytime
Maximising comfort and support from your mattress, pillows, and bedding
Blocking out excess light and sound that could disrupt sleep
3. Get Your Body Active!
Moving and exercising promotes blood flow, releases feel-good brain chemicals, and decreases overall levels of tension. Even just 5 minutes of aerobic exercise can begin to stimulate anti-anxiety effects and feel-good chemicals![3].
It is still important to stay active even if you can’t train with your usual sporting group or go to the gym. Get outside where possible and allowable within any isolation requirements. There is an abundance of parks, walking trails and open spaces to exercise. However, you don’t even need to go outside to get in your daily or weekly dose of exercise, with free and paid resources available. Try to maintain an exercise schedule with the resources you have available. Participate in your favourite movement and exercise or learn a new one! Stretch, dance to music or while cooking; try gardening, Pilates, or an African dance routine on YouTube.
Use the old basketball ring at home, or the balcony as your dedicated area for stretches, or find online activities like yoga or fitness workouts.
Some exercise resources below:
The QLD Government has a 6+ minute no-running cardio video on their website which is free of charge.
Exercise Right at Home is a campaign powered by Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) that helps to keep Australians active and support their mental health during Covid-19. Their accredited exercise professionals have put together a range of workouts that you can do in the safety of your own home including whole body workouts, stretching, lower body and core workouts, desk and couch workouts and more!
The Office of Sport has compiled a bunch of resources for safely exercising in and around your home.
4. Detox your Mind from Digital Devices
It’s important to listen to official health guidelines to continue to keep yourself safe, but try not to consume too much negative content on any media. With daily updates and global news flooding our screens it can really impact our mindset. The goal here is to ‘keep it real’, not to flood your mind with excessive amounts of media and news surrounding Covid or other negative news. Also be mindful that there is lots of fake news out there too which is pushing an agenda through easy access to social media. Taking a much-needed digital detox from news and social media can do wonders for the mind. Switch off completely from news for a part of the day.
If you decide to take a ‘digi’ detox, fill your time instead with activities that help your headspace such as any of the activities in this article, or things like listening to music, watching something funny, or calling your friend who makes you smile!
5. Get Creative
Such activities as writing, gardening, baking, learning an instrument or playing music can really improve mental clarity. As we get older, it’s easy for us to stop doing the things that excited us as kids. In fact, creative activities can act as a sort of therapy with Harvard Health Medical School stating that “Creative activities can relieve stress”. Plenty of creative activities can be done indoors, so add something creative in your routine – even if it’s just one hour a week!
6. Find Something to be Grateful for Every Day
Focus your mind on something that you are thankful for. It can be the sunrise or a flower. Keep it simple! Focus on whatever you can find to give you a feeling of relief and have an ‘Attitude of Gratitude’. Just like the saying goes, ‘you are what you eat’ regarding food and physical health, so it is with your thoughts when it comes to mental health. Feed your mind healthy positive food. One of our staff messages with her sibling one thing they are grateful for each day. Another person I know shares nature photos with their colleagues.
Try the Smiling Mind app for lots of gratitude exercises you can listen to.
Or you may want to write a gratitude list! Below is an exercise on how to do a gratitude list:
1. Get a note paper and pen/pencil/Texta.
2. Write 3 things you are grateful (thankful) for.
3. Stick this up on your wall where you can see it.
4. Do this same activity every day.
7. Help Someone Else
It’s sometimes easy to get caught up in our own lives; especially if we are feeling stressed. However, we are social creatures and are born with the innate qualities of compassion and wanting to help others. This truly can bring joy and can widen our sense of purpose in the world. In fact, a study done by the University of Switzerland, along with other international research, scientifically proved that selfless giving makes you happier!
While helping others might be difficult if you are isolating, there are still things you can do such as donating to charities and making an effort to call or zoom with your grandparent, friends and family.
This can get your mind off your own problems for a while, and you can gain a sense of satisfaction, confidence, and positive feelings. You are not only making a big difference in someone else’s life; you can also gain a sense of control. As well as helping people you know, the government has set up coronavirus volunteering program where you can help others during Covid.
8. Empty Your Worry Bucket
While it’s important to remain cautious, we know that too much worry isn’t good for us. Imagine you have a bucket which represents your capacity to cope with life’s ups and downs. What we tend to do is collect our worries, so the bucket fills up, and leads to us feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
You can remove the worries in the bucket by writing down the things that are worrying you. Once you have finished, go through each one and write down steps that will help the situation and put a tick next to it. It could be an assignment you’re worried about, and the step could be talking to your teacher about it to get support. Although we can’t get rid of all our problems, by having an action step you will do next to a worry, our bucket can feel lighter so it doesn’t overflow.
You can also make your worry bucket lighter through other ways, such as talking to someone about it who will help you.
Here is a simple technique called the ‘5,4,3,2,1 strategy’ which you can try to reduce worries if there is no danger present. Start by standing tall, place your feet on the ground, take a deep breath in and follow the steps below:
5: Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you. …
4: Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around you. …
3: Acknowledge THREE things you hear. …
2: Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. …
1: Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste…
You can also try mediation, yoga, exercise or something else calming that works for you.
There is a big buzz around mindfulness and meditation at the moment, and what those activities do, bring your mind in the present and bring some peace. Meditating has many benefits including gaining a new perspective on stressful situations, and building skills to manage stress and anxiety. Here are some tips on How to Meditate and some apps you can check out.
9. Replace the Alcoholic Drinks
Reducing or abstaining from alcohol not only minimises the risk of developing chronic or life-threatening health issues, but can also improve a person’s sleep, concentration, work performance and mood. Alcohol really affects mood in a negative way, so if you are already stressed, it is not a good option. If you want to lower or replace your alcohol consumption, try the below instead:
Kombucha
Sparkling Juices
Alcohol-free beer, wine, or spirits
Mocktails
Visit our Alcohol or Other Drug Resource Hub for alcohol and other drugs resources and support services if you need assistance with an alcohol or other drug problem.
10. Connect with Others
If you are isolating or not, check out these top creative inspirations to stay connected in a safe way, such as virtual dinner date, an online movie or games night, after work mocktails via messenger, read aloud on the phone and more.
Reach Out for a chat if you need it. Remember, you are not alone. There are others out there experiencing current challenges, some experiencing it more than others. There are lots of people ready to support you, whether it’s a family member or friend or professional counselling service.
Young people aged up to 25 can connect with Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) and anyone of other ages can connect with Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) for free phone and online counselling 24hrs a day. Alternatively, if you live in the South East Sydney, St George region and surrounds, aged 12-25 or a family of a young person, you can give us a call on (02) 9556 1769, or check out all our services.
Remember, you are not alone, and you can take care of yourself in 2022 to stay healthy and well!
Are you or your family isolating and want some more info on how to get through it? Check out our info sheet on ideas to keep young people connected and entertained at home which was produced during lockdown but is useful now too.
References
- “Beyond Blue”. 2022. Beyondblue.Org.Au. Accessed January 18. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/staying-well/eating-well.
- National Health and Medical Research Council (Update 2019) Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults. Canberra: Australian Government.
- “What Is Sleep Hygiene? | Sleep Foundation”. 2021. Sleepfoundation.Org. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene.
- “Exercise For Stress And Anxiety | Anxiety And Depression Association Of America, ADAA”. 2022. Adaa.Org. https://adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/managing-anxiety/exercise-stress-and-anxiety.
The information for this fact sheet has been compiled from the above-mentioned evidence based sources. Information is accurate as of 18th January 2022.